One Half
by jujubaby
Summary: A young half breed girl comes into Sesshomaru's life unexpectedly. Something about her is off and Sesshomaru can't figure it out. She has her own questions in life too. When the two end up becoming travel companions will she change Sesshomaru's opinions on half-breeds? What is it about her that is different and will she find the answers she's looking for?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Growing up, I was just like any other little girl. I wanted to be a princess and play make-believe. I thought one day that I would graduate from school and live a really great life. My parents would be really proud of me and I would be successful. What I didn't think was that I would be betrayed by the people I loved, or that I would end up becoming a murderer. Well, I guess no child expects their hands to be stained with the blood of innocents when they get older. At least, I didn't anyways.

* * *

The ropes tied around Amane's hands and wrists were quite tight in order to make sure she could not escape. She was attached to a long rope which was held onto by a man on horseback. This man was the lord of a small region, though he had been ambitious enough to trap Amane and steal her Zanshiki.

Zanshiki was a powerful sword forged by the Gods from a powerful and fearsome dragon demon. Its powers were said to be incredible and thus the lord had sought it out. His plans were to use the immensely powerful sword to take over all of Japan.

It had taken him months to track down the merciless murderer Amane. Originally, she would've left an easy trail of blood and devastation behind her for him to follow but she had practically disappeared some weeks ago. The rumors were that she had become cursed by all those who she murdered and it had finally taken its toll. Of course this was not true but the public will gossip.

Traveling along with Amane and the lord were many guards, a small army if you will. They practically surrounded the two in a defensive fashion just in case any threat was to emerge. Though, Amane had a special guard all to herself to make sure she didn't cause any trouble or try any funny business. By now it was already dark out and a thin sheet of rain made it difficult to see in front of them. "Maybe you guys should take a break. Do you even know where you're going anymore?" Amane raised her voice slightly to make sure they were able to hear her over the rain. "Listen wench! You're in no position to be shouting orders! How dare you speak to our lord that way?" one of the guards yelled in response. Out of anger he lashed his spear at her, slitting open her arm. Amane closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. It was true; right now she _**was**_ in no position. She'd have to grin and bear it until she found an opportunity to make her escape.

"It wasn't an order but okay…" she clenched her teeth together and mumbled to herself. "What was that?! Do you have a death wish?!" he yelled yet again. _"Wow this guy has some serious issues."_ She thought to herself before saying the following aloud, "What do you mean? I was simply agreeing with you." She shrugged her shoulders. The guards face turned red with anger and he clenched his jaw tight as he raised his spear to strike her again. However, this time he was stopped when something in the distance in front of them caught his attention. "Move aside." A calm, commanding voice said. In front of them, emerging from the sheet of rain, was a tall man with long, flowing white hair. The lord laughed loudly, "I move aside for no demon! Now, get out of our way or we will dispose of you!"

Immediately his men drew out their weapons and stood in a way that was clearly an attempt to intimidate him. _"A demon , huh? Now's my chance since everyone is distracted."_ She thought to herself. She looked around to make sure none of the guards eyes were on her. Slowly, she began gathering the rope in her hands, making the distance between her and the lord on the other end less and less. At the same time, the demon raised his right and cracked his knuckles. It was clear he was about to attack though the expression on his face didn't change, which sent a shiver down Amane's spine. She quickly shook off the feeling and focused on her self-given task.

The demon began slaying the lord's men with the simple flick of his wrist. A green whip like light came from his claws, which had the rest of the men practically quaking in their boots. The lord quickly reached for Zanshiki. It was his only hope to defeat this demon. "Oh no you don't!" Amane yelled as she used her body weight to tug on the rope, resulting in the lord being yanked off his mount. "You stupid wench, Amane!" he hissed and grabbed his own sword as Zanshiki was now out of his reach. Once he killed Amane, he could get the sword, defeat this demon and become a powerful ruler. A smirk appeared on his face as the thought entered his mind. He pulled the rope towards him, causing Amane to stumble forward. He thrust his sword forward as she did so and struck her deep in the left side. However, it wasn't enough. Again he attempted the same move but this time Amane managed to dodge it and come out of the second attack with a small gash across her rib cage.

Their little dance of thrust and dodge continued until the demon came upon them and thrust his claws through the lord's abdomen. They hadn't even noticed that all the guards had been slayed already, though Amane wasn't shocked, no human could stand a chance against a demon like him. Exhausted and quite a bit dizzy from blood loss, Amane fell backwards. "Please, will you untie me?" her breathing was heavy as the words came out of her mouth. She lifted both hands in hopes that he would cut the rope and she could be on her way. He glanced down at her wounds, "You will die soon, there is no point in me wasting my time." He said as he continued on his way.

Amane rolled her eyes in annoyance as she watched the figure fade into the distance. _"He could've at least let me die free if he really believed I would die."_ Her vision began to blur as she laid down on the cold, wet, muddy ground. "Damnit." She quietly said to herself. The rain continued to pour as she slowly closed her eyes and drifted off.

 _"How peculiar,"_ Sesshomaru thought as he walked on his way to return to Jaken, _"Her blood…it smells human but also not human. What is the meaning of this?"_

* * *

Author Note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading my first chapter. Please give me some good critiques and let me know your thoughts! Thanks!

\- Juju


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amane was walking through a lush, thick forest, unsure of where she was headed. Her mind was full of so many questions. Why had she been sent here, what was her purpose? She wasn't of this time, or this world even but what was the point?

Long ago her father would tell her stories of a mysterious world hidden inside of an old well. At the time she thought her father was just making up some fairy tale and everywhere they would go she would look inside a well to be greeted by either water or dirt. It wasn't until four years ago that she found these stories to be true. At the time she was struggling with her identity, she had discovered so many things about herself and her "family" but they only thought she was crazy. Frustrated, she ran into the forest surrounding their backyard and found an old wooden well. There was dirt at the bottom and she jumped inside, taking comfort in her father's stories. All she had wanted to was to take some time for herself to process what she had learned. However, that all changed when she found herself in feudal Japan.

Since that moment that she emerged from that old well, the thought of returning "home" never crossed her mind. For a month she wandered aimlessly, much like she was doing now, and exploring this new world. Until one day when she heard a rumor of a powerful sword. The legend was that an incredible sword that had been forged by the Gods out of a dragon demon had unimaginable powers and was awaiting for its true master to come claim it. Many searched for the sword and came up empty handed, which led most to believe that the sword itself didn't want to be found. This intrigued Amane and she decided to seek out the fabled sword herself.

This task would take her a year. Amane wasn't sure what to think of the rumors, despite the location of the sword being generally difficult to find, the sword known as Zanshiki was easy to obtain. She had expected there to be some sort of trial in order for her to take possession of the weapon. Not too long after that she found herself on a killing spree, becoming a well known murderer. Her first few weeks in this new time were interesting and an adventure, and the search for Zanshiki had also been something that kept her mind busy, but once that was over she remembered her anger at her family and lashed out on anyone she could.

Wouldn't it be better to kill them all? That's what she thought at the time anyways. Her murdering ways would continue up until about eight months ago, when she encountered a girl who bore a striking resemblance to her late younger sister. If someone where to tell her that they were the same person, she would believe it had her sister not already been dead. It was in that moment that she saw this girl's face and was reminded of her beloved younger sibling that all urges to kill had left her body and mind. So why was she here? It was obvious that she was meant to come here. Zanshiki had chosen her as its true master, the girl who looked so much like her sister whose death had been so tragic, and the fact that her father had told her about this place so long ago in his stories.

"Watch I bet you I'm in a coma or something and this is all just a dream." she laughed as she quietly said the words to herself and rubbed her forehead in frustration. That was when she heard a familiar voice say, "You're in my way."

It was the demon from three months earlier! She couldn't forget his face, not after that experience. Even though she'd been shaken up while watching him fight earlier she was still pretty pissed that he didn't cut her ropes and she was the great Amane! How dare he. She held up her sword, still in its sheath, "No. You're in _**my**_ way." Amane squinted her eyes at him, no one told her what to do. Especially not some demon. His claws were definitely something to watch out for, but she had Zanshiki so she felt she had an advantage.

Sesshomaru stared for a moment, his face expressionless. He was surprised that she managed to survive such fatal wounds as he was sure she had died from them shortly after he last saw her. "If you're not going to get out my way then I suggest you say your last words now." This girl was a half breed of some sort, that he could tell. However, what that was exactly, he was unsure. He definitely smelled human on her, there was no mistake in that, but what was the other scent? It wasn't demon that's for sure, but if not that then what? It smelled pure. He didn't know how to describe it really, it was a scent not like any he'd ever smelled before. Despite that, this girl had challenged him and it was time for her to go. She was half human so killed her would be more of a challenge than a normal human but it would still be an easy task for Sesshomaru. Though he did somewhat appreciate that this girl didn't back down, somewhere deep inside, not that he would ever admit it.

He cracked his knuckles and lunged towards her. _"Whoa! He's fast!"_ she thought to herself. Barely, she was able to dodge his attack with her sheathed weapon and hopped out of his way. "Why do you not draw your sword?" he asked, partially curious and another insult. "I could ask the same thing about you!" Amane pointed towards his sword which he kept at his side. "As if I would need a pitiful thing like a sword." he responded as he once again lunged at her. "Well then I guess you kind of answered your own question. Why would I waste my energy and use full force on you?" she laughed a bit while working hard to dodge his attacks. This was proving to be more difficult than she thought. She had only seen him fight a small army of men in their last meeting, but he didn't attack like this, his speed was insane! "Keep quiet and focus on your fight." Sesshomaru said calmly as he grazed her arm. Amane inspected the wound for a moment before giving a cheeky smile, "What? You can't have a decent conversation before you kill? That is, _**if**_ you can kill anyways. Which you won't be able to. Believe me! Many have tried." Blood was spilling from her arm now and she seemed generally unphased by it. In fact she didn't even make a sound when she got cut. It was almost like she didn't feel it at all.

He could tell this would be a waste of time. She acted like her wound didn't even exist and was more interested in having a conversation with him. Instead of continuing out their fight he continued on his path. She gave him a puzzled look, though kept up her guard as he passed her. He stopped for a moment and looked back over his shoulder, "I don't have time to waste with filthy half breeds." _"Filthy half-breed?!"_ Amane's mind was going a mile a minute. She could practically feel steam coming out of her ears. Before she could respond, he was already out of sight. For some reason she followed him. She didn't know why, but her body just urged her forward. Even though he was not someone she wanted to be around, was he someone she _needed?_ It didn't take long for her to catch up to him, "Wait!" she called out. He stopped and turned around, "I told you, I have no time to waste on fi-" "Filthy half-breed." she cut him off and finished his sentence in a somewhat annoyed tone. "I know you say that but let me travel with you." Amane felt her stomach churn, this was more of a blow to her pride than him calling her a filthy half-breed. "It won't be forever, I promise! I just need to find out something. Yes, I'm a half-breed but I'm sure you've noticed I'm not part demon. I know what I am but I have to find out why." she knew it sounded silly but this was a question she had for so long. _Why_ was she a half-breed.

Sesshomaru really didn't want this girl to travel with him. He hated humans and he hated half-breeds, so a half human person was not his idea companion. There was something about her though, that he felt drawn to. He was curious about this other blood of hers, what was it? Why wouldn't she say what it was and why did she have to find out why she was half human and half whatever? Isn't it obvious why? Sesshomaru turned back around and continued walking, "Do as you will."

Amane smiled a bit, excited to see if any of her questions could possibly be answered by traveling with this mysterious demon. She did find it a bit odd that she'd run into him twice in such a short amount of time, that had to mean something didn't it? "I'll be out of your hair soon I hope. Don't worry I have no interest in becoming friends with you either so I won't stick around." Friendship was something she never had, nor did she have any interest in obtaining it.

Sesshomaru said nothing and continued on his way with Amane now following a few paces behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amane stood in the middle of what appeared to be a large field. Her long brown hair was tied up into a high ponytail with a bright red bow and a huge grin was constantly spread on her face as she mouthed a conversation with someone. "I can-….-til….-morrow!" Her words were unclear and only a few syllables were able to be made out. She seemed very happy and her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. "…-very-….-ine…..-nk…." What was she saying? Who was she talking with? The other person wasn't even visible but it was clear some sort of conversation was going on.

Suddenly she turned around and everything changed. The clear sunny day turned into a gloomy atmosphere, her happy expression soon changed to that of heartbreak. Her bright red bow had disappeared and her hair was down, showing its true medium length. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her mouth was wide open letting out a scream. It wasn't clear though, it sounded muffled and far away. She was no longer in a field but instead surrounded by trees and a smoke saturated breeze sent her hair flying with it.

Amane woke up with a gasp and lunged forward into a sitting position. She put her head in her hand and tried to catch her breath as sweat dripped off her forehead. "A dream huh?" she asked herself quietly. No, it wasn't a dream….but a memory. Her expression was serious as she thought about it. In fact, they were two memories. This happened to her often. Occasionally she would have overlapping memories as a dream, however one always felt false. It wasn't something she could explain, she just felt it in her heart that one was a true memory and one was a false memory. Which was the real one though? Both of them were so real, the emotions felt so real, in fact they still lingered a bit with her as if she had experienced both events in reality just now.

After she had calmed herself down, she came back to her senses and scanned her surroundings. Both Sesshomaru and his companion, Jaken, were gone. Amane stood up and stretched, "Well, ya snooze ya lose I guess." It hadn't been long since she started traveling with the two so it wasn't entirely unbelievable that they would leave her behind. She breathed a sigh of relief, "I guess it's good that they aren't here, it would've been awkward to wake up like that with them around." Even so, she still felt a slight pang of disappointment. "What am I thinking? Who cares?" She shook her head and looked at the ground in search of tracks. Even though she was no expert tracker, she could at least tell which way they were headed judging by their foot prints. Once she had gained sight of them she took off in their direction. Hopefully they weren't too far away and she would be able to catch up to them, especially since Sesshomaru usually took his time walking from place to place.

Luckily for her, she was able to catch up to them in no time as Sesshomaru was engaged in a battle. _"What luck."_ She thought to herself. Quite some distance away from the battle she found Jaken arguing with some girl. As she drew near she realized that the girl's clothes were very out of place for this era. For some reason, the mere sight of them made Amane sick to her stomach. Nonetheless she persevered and joined Jaken.

"What's going on? What did I miss?" she interrupted them with no hesitancy. Jaken halted his conversation with the other female and turned his attention to Amane. His expression showed his anger and he immediately went off on her, "You foolish woman! This is how you repay my Lord?! Lazing around and sleeping all day, is that how you show your thanks?" Amane forced out a yawn to the best of her ability to somewhat annoy him and sat down next to him as he continued his tangent. _"It's still day time. I hardly call that being lazy."_ It wasn't like she had intended to sleep in, but when those dreams came on they usually ended up taking a decent chunk out of her day. "So what's happening? You've completely ignored my questions." Amane's gaze shifted over to Sesshomaru who was fighting another demon with long silver hair, similar to his own.

The question seemed to snap Jaken back to the situation at hand and the subject of their conversation made a change in topic. "That is Inuyasha, Lord Sesshomaru's younger half-brother. My Lord despises him because he is a filthy half demon who stole Lord Sesshomaru's rightful inheritance from their father!" Jaken passionately explained. "Oh, ouch." Amane jokingly winced and clutched her heart dramatically at the mention of hatred toward a half breed. The female from before finally spoke up, Amane could tell she'd been itching for the opportunity to speak. "Please! You've got to do something! As Sesshomaru's friend how can you just sit back and watch this? This has got to end!" She frantically pleaded to Amane, concern laced into her tone. This girl didn't know her at all and knew nothing about her relationship with Sesshomaru, why was she being so assuming? Irritated, Amane replied, "It's not my place to do anything. He can do whatever he wants, I don't control him. We're not friends either so you're asking the wrong person." She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "If Sesshomaru is letting a human like you travel with him then there must be some connection! He hates humans! Don't you think it's wrong? They're brothers!"

 _"A human like you….he hates humans!"_ echoed in Amane's head and caused her irritation to grow. _"Who said I was human anyways…."_ She thought. Though she was curious, _"If he hates humans….why_ _ **does**_ _he let me travel alongside him? He knows I'm half human….in fact he's already used the 'filthy half-breed' line on me already…..so, why?"_ Why seemed to be a question she was asking herself a lot lately. How frustrating this all was. All she could hope was that all of her questions would be answered in time, but how much time no one knew.

After a short pause in the conversation, Amane sighed and continued, "There really isn't a connection," a mutual one that is, "I'm only traveling with them for the time being. Besides, I can't say I don't relate to him in this situation either." This statement had both Jaken and the other girl staring at her in shock. Suddenly she felt the need to explain herself now that both seemed to be probing her with their eyes, "Look, I had a younger half-brother who I hated too so I get it." The girl's expression changed to that of worry towards Amane rather than concern over the two brothers fighting. "Why are you….talking about him in past tense?" It looked like she was about to cry, her tone was soft and somewhat broken sounding. "Hmmmm….well?" Amane didn't know how to continue. In her heart she knew he was dead, she remembered him dying but she didn't really have the memory of it. She couldn't remember any details about his death or even remember a funeral, but the fact that he had died was certain. "He _is_ dead, but come to think of it I don't really remember what happened." The more she thought about it the more she realized she couldn't get a clear picture of him in her head, all she could think of was him as an infant in their mother's arms. She couldn't even see her mother's face. Truthfully it had been such a long time since she thought about them that she hadn't even realized that she'd forgotten. The atmosphere suddenly felt awkward as the girl was staring at her almost in tears and Jaken was staring at her with a glowing expression.

"W-what. Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked Jaken. Jaken of all people staring at her with a positive expression on his face made her the most uncomfortable out of this entire situation. He was always upset that she was around and constantly asking why Sesshomaru had allowed such a person to come along with him, not that he ever received a reply. "I'm just glad you've finally gained some sense and know to be on my Lord's side! Perhaps you aren't as foolish as I thought you were before." She knew that this was Jaken's version of a compliment but she still couldn't find it in herself to take it as one. "Um…thanks?" At that moment, Sesshomaru approached them. "Let's go." He didn't bother to make eye contact with them and continued to walk on. "W-wait my Lord!" Jaken quickly jumped up and ran after Sesshomaru to join closely behind him. "I guess that's my cue." Amane added as she stood up. As she began to follow them she was stopped by the other girl. "Tell me, do you really hate your younger brother that much? Are you happy that he's dead?" Amane didn't appreciate the look in the girl's eyes or that she was butting into her business like this.

"What is your name?" Amane asked. "It's Kagome." The girl replied. "Well Kagome, it's really none of your business, but yes. I do hate him that much and I'm very pleased that he is no longer of this world." She turned quickly mid-sentence so she wouldn't have to see that look in Kagome's eyes again and continued on her way to follow Sesshomaru. "Wait! What is your name?!" Kagome yelled out after her. Amane didn't respond and instead jogged to catch up to Sesshomaru and Jaken.

* * *

Their party continued on their way, the air surrounding them, tense. Sesshomaru no doubt was upset about his run-in with his brother though he wasn't showing it so much on his face, and Amane was still irritated at that girl probing her for information. It also didn't help that she suddenly had so many questions. "Hey Sesshomaru, why are you allowing me to travel with you? You hate humans right? I know you hate half-breeds…I'm both so why?" She knew deep inside he wouldn't respond though some part of her hoped there would be a chance. Jaken instead was the one to reply, "How can you possibly keep being so disrespectful? It's _LORD_ Sesshomaru to you! Don't be so informal! Here I thought I was wrong about you!" Amane rolled her eyes as Jaken once again chewed her out. She was mostly annoyed at herself for not seeing it coming.

 _"That's what I get I guess."_ In the midst of her trying to phase out Jaken's yelling she hadn't realized that Sesshomaru had stopped and ended up bumping right into his back. Amane stumbled backwards due to the recoil. She didn't feel too embarrassed as Jaken had also not realized this and had walked a few steps ahead of them. "What are you?" Sesshomaru didn't make any eye contact with her as he asked the question and just continued to stare straight ahead. "W-what?" she was confused at his question, didn't he already know that she was a half-breed? He'd mentioned it before. Had he not been sure? In her opinion, he didn't seem like the type, but she couldn't say that confidently, she still knew relatively nothing about him. "What are you? Human and what else?" He didn't already know what else? If he could tell she was half-human why could he not detect her other half? In the midst of her mind moving a mile a minute with numerous questions popping into her head, he continued to walk forward, "If you can't answer me then the conversation is over." Amane stood for a moment baffled, and confused. "Wait, you really don't know?" Sesshomaru ignored her and kept walking. It wasn't like there were many of her around but surely he would've been able to tell? Amane followed quietly after him. If he didn't already know then maybe she should keep this information classified for now, after all she didn't really trust him and didn't know enough about him to be so open about such a thing. _"Hm…what an interesting turn out. I followed you to get answers but I'm winding up with more questions than before."_

* * *

Author's Note: Due to big family events and the 4th of July I have been unable to write Chapter 3 up until now. My process for writing involves many steps. In the middle of the night I wake up and pull out a notebook and write out the chapter. I'm best inspired while I'm half asleep! Then in the morning, if possible, I type out what I've written while editing any grammar/spelling mistakes as well as adding or removing pieces of the chapter. Then I re-read them a few times to see if there's anything I would like to change/remove. For Chapter 2 I actually wrote an entirely different chapter but decided that I didn't want most of it and rewrote it! For my final step I upload the document here, re-read and make sure that there are no spelling mistakes one final time before uploading. It's a long process but it usually takes me about a day if I'm not busy. My planned upload schedule is to release a chapter every week sometime from Friday to Sunday, since this usually will give me the week to carry out these steps! I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story and please let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

PS. An issue I've had while writing is figuring out when to describe Amane. I have a clear picture of her in my head but I feel like for the most part when I describe her it is irrelevant and the descriptions end up being scrapped from the chapter. I thought about just describing her through author notes at the end of the chapter but I feel like that would be really cheap and cheat readers out of the experience. My friend has given me really good advice on this though so please bear with me until I become better at it and feel free to share your tips with me as well!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The events from the previous day were still lingering in Amane's head. Her curious personality brought on the need for answers despite her knowing it was none of her business. If she was going to travel with these two, maybe it would be best for her to get to know them a little more. She walked closer to Jaken and leaned over while talking in a hushed tone, "Hey Jaken? What was all that about a sword left by their father yesterday?" Sesshomaru often wondered away from her and Jaken so she had expected him to do so, allowing her to probe Jaken for some information, but today was the day he decided to stick around. "Sesshomaru's father was a great demon who wielded two swords called Tessaiga and the Tenseiga." Amane listened intently as Jaken explained the story of the two swords to her. As he delved deeper into the story, his volume and anger began to rise. "Really?! I'd be upset too! Who wants a sword that can revive people anyways? The dead should remain dead." Amane found herself matching Jaken's volume as the conversation struck a personal cord with her.

As she and Jaken exchanged anger words and ranted to each other about how Sesshomaru was practically betrayed by his own father, they suddenly felt a terrifying presence. Amidst their heated discussion, they hadn't realized that they had become loud enough to be disruptive to Sesshomaru. They both turned to see him glaring at them and sent shivers down both of their spines. "Oh my god he's not even saying anything, there's not even an expression on his face but I can feel how pissed he is deep in my soul." Amane quietly whispered to Jaken in hopes that Sesshomaru would be unable to hear her.

Before Jaken could respond to her, Sesshomaru walked over and stuck him on the head. Amane gasped, "Hey!" she yelled. Sesshomaru ignored her as he continued in the direction they were originally walking. "Are you okay?" she bent over to check on Jaken. He didn't respond and instead hurried after Sesshomaru. Although a bit touched that she showed concern for him, he knew that he had been struck in her place and was now irritated at her presence. _"If that brainless girl hadn't been here this wouldn't have happened"_ he thought to himself.

Amane frowned and began to follow as well and made sure to put a good distance between herself and them. As much as she wanted to confront Sesshomaru about his punishment on Jaken, she was already feeling extremely weak and Sesshomaru was already pissed off as it was. Tonight was definitely not the time for that and besides, she didn't want to annoy him since he was already doing her a favor after all.

"Are you sulking back there?" Sesshomaru asked her without turning around. _"How did he know I was all the way back here?"_ she wondered. "No, I'm not. I'm just…" she thought for a good while, trying to think of what to say. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be good for her to explain herself right now. Already her heart was starting to race. "Just?" Sesshomaru stopped and inhaled the air, catching her scent. He turned around to face Amane and stared directly into her eyes. Her scent had changed, it was a slight change but noticeable to him nonetheless. "Just…relaxing. You know, taking my time, enjoying the walk." Her voice was quiet; she couldn't muster up enough energy to speak loudly. Suddenly, it hit her. Her heart skipped a beat and quickened it's pace more so than it already had and her body temperature began to rise. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes fluttered as she was hit with a moment of dizziness.

The darker it got, the worse it became. They were already nearing nightfall and she did not want to expose herself to the two. She couldn't blame anyone but herself in this situation, she should've been more aware of the time. As fast as she could, she ducked behind a nearby tree and leaned against it. Her breathing had become heavy and her chest was tightening. She couldn't let them see her like this, it was too soon. What would they think? What would they do? As she clutched her heart and tried to study her breathing, a hand reached over and tugged her out. "Don't look!" She pulled her arm away from Sesshomaru and covered her head. He examined her and breathed in her scent once more. The unknown scent he had smelt before was now overpowering her human scent, which he could only catch a faint whiff of, her long brown hair had changed to a blue-ish silver and her eye color from brown to a light grey. Jaken ran over in surprise "Your hair!" he exclaimed, "You better explain yourself! My Lord can't have a deceitful person in his midst!" Amane sighed and sat down on the ground, exhausted from the transformation. Her heart was still pumping and it was still quite difficult for her to breathe. "Give me a second."

Once her body completed the process, her heartbeat normalized and she felt a little bit back to normal. Sesshomaru had already walked away from her and was staring off into the distance. Jaken however had stayed by her side, burning holes into her with his gaze. "Can you stop that?" she said as she gave Jaken a very irritated look. "I refuse to take my eyes off you until you come clean about your identity!" He nodded firmly and continued his staring. "I don't know how to tell you. It sounds weird to just blurt out! I'm a demigod is that what you want? Yes, a half-human, half-god monster. That's me." Her shoulders slumped and she averted her gaze. It obviously was a sensitive subject for her. "A demigod you say? Then surely you must be very powerful! Yet I haven't seen you battle once while you've been with us!" Jaken sounded very upset, not to Amane's surprise. She wished she could read Sesshomaru a little more, surely he was listening but he certainly didn't act like it. "Well, no. Not really. Well, actually it's really complicated. A god has a lot of power, and a human not so much, but sometimes when you mix two things together they can become much stronger. That's why I can wield Zanshiki." She patted the sheathed sword that was resting at her side. "If a god tries to wield it, then they would be corrupted and turned into a demon. If it's a human then they will be possessed and die. A demigod like me though creates a balance….god, human and demon. I can't wield the sword at times like this though, my god blood is surging in power and overpowering my human blood. There are also times where it's the opposite, where my god blood becomes weak and is overtaken by my human blood. During these times I cannot wield Zanshiki." Jaken's anger suddenly became that of awe. "So right now you're practically a god! This is great isn't it Lord Sesshomaru?" he turned to Sesshomaru with a huge grin on his face, "A god as your ally will certainly help you in your battle with Naraku and taking that sword from Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru seemed unphased and continued ignoring them. "Wait…it's not like that. Gods gain their power from worshippers and prayers. There are no shrines built to me, there is no one worshipping me and no one sends me their prayers. I'm virtually useless right now. The only thing I'm really capable of that is of some use is being a shield. It'll take a lot more than normal to draw blood from me, it's like I got upgraded armor." She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm of the best use when I'm normal." "Is that why you lived?" Sesshomaru suddenly spoke up.

"What?" Amane was confused. "Is that why you lived? That day when you asked me to untie you?" He didn't make eye contact with her at all and remained in his previous position. "Oh. That. Yes. It's very difficult to kill me, when I'm normal. Those wounds weren't so bad, it was mostly blood loss. I died for a few moments but then my soul was able to return to my body. For a human, their soul departs to the other side but for a god their soul will disappear. For a demigod like me, my soul doesn't know where to go, so it will leave my body. If my body is intact then my soul will be able to return. If it's not intact or my soul is for some reason blocked from returning then it will disappear. A pretty useless thing if you ask me." Sesshomaru could tell how her irritation was growing. Jaken however had begun to frown, "I couldn't imagine Lord Sesshomaru having a half-human child! How could such a powerful being bed a human?" Amane shook her head, "Both of my parents were human. I was born as a full human, but like the _**idiots**_ who made that sword," she motioned towards the Tenseiga, "some people just don't want to let go of the dead. As a human, I died. I died at this age that I am now but a god took pity on me for some reason and gave me their blood to revive me, which turned me into this monster and put me through hell." Her body began to shake with anger, "That's where you come in. I have a gut feeling that by following you I'll get some answers. I need to know why I was not allowed to die and rest in peace." Jaken looked shocked and quickly scooted away from her. _"So she's technically a dead woman…"_ he thought. Sesshomaru turned and stared at her once again, "That is why you didn't pull out your blade." He said as a realization.

"If I had pulled it out then I would've died, or something pretty bad would've happened." The two were referring to their previous fight. "How did you come to learn all of this about Zanshiki? How did you come to wield him?" Jaken asked, suddenly curious on her knowledge of the sword. "I had heard of a great sword that had been forged by the gods from a great demon called Zanshiki. The sword was rumored to only be able to be wielded by the one it chose to be its master. I sought it out for a long time, not knowing whether the rumors were true or not. It took me around one year to find it but once I did, it was relatively easy to get. I thought if I could get this sword, if I could have it in my hands, maybe this sword who, like me, was created by the gods could answer some of my questions. Upon gaining the weapon I….I don't know it was like a voice in my head telling me these things. I don't know why Zanshiki chose me, maybe it's because I'm the balance but I can't believe I'm the only one of my kind around here. No matter what I want to know why I was brought back to the living world but if I'm the only one then that certainly raises more questions." Amane explained carefully.

Today she was giving a lot of information about herself, information that she hadn't wanted to share. Unfortunately there was no way she couldn't explain herself now that they had seen her like this. Plus, Jaken accusing her of being deceitful definitely pushed her to reveal more, she couldn't risk losing Sesshomaru at this point. He had to be the key to all of this, he would unlock so many of her questions, she just knew it deep inside.

"Don't get in my way." Sesshomaru spoke up again, "Jaken let's go." Jaken and Sesshomaru continued again and Amane slowly got up to follow. He really listened to all of that? He didn't have much to say. _"What is he thinking right now I wonder?"_ Amane slowly caught up to them. _"I'll have to make sure that I don't burden him."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Amane sighed as she leaned back against a tree root with Jaken by her side. Once again, Sesshomaru was away and life was boring. It wasn't unusual and seemed to be more like his daily routine to leave the two of them alone, still she wished he had asked if they wanted to go with him. At this point it seemed a little ridiculous just how often he wasn't around. It wasn't like she could do anything in the state she was in but maybe something exciting would happen that she could watch. Her closest thing to entertainment was playing with a tiny stick she found lying in the dirt next to her. "Hey so, where do you think he goes? Do you ever wonder? Next time I'm going to make him take me with him." She huffed out in annoyance, causing her silverish bangs to flutter from the sudden gust of air and threw the tiny stick over towards another tree. "Lord Sesshomaru is a very busy man. He has things to go investigate and take care of! We would just burden him." Jaken crossed his arms and Amane stared at him with her mouth agape.

"You think I would burden him? Me? Really? I could be a big help to him if he'd let me!" Now she was even more annoyed, Jaken's statement had really hit a nerve with her. She was no weakling. "Well, what have you done so far? Nothing. You can't even draw your sword. Useless!" Amane folded her arms and slumped. It was true, she couldn't argue that. Since she had met Sesshomaru she had been in transition where her human blood would be overpowered by her god blood, which meant she wouldn't be able to use Zanshiki at all. Suddenly a strong gust of air came out of nowhere and almost blew Jaken away. "What the-" Amane grabbed onto Jaken so he wouldn't disappear into the forest and shielded her eyes from the dirt filled winds that were blowing their way with her arm. "So, Sesshomaru isn't here?" an unknown female's voice said once the wind settled down. Amane lowered her arm and made eye contact with the woman. Judging by the sudden attack, this woman was no friend and Amane pulled out her sword, still inside its sheath.

"As you can see, Sesshomaru is not here and he won't be back any time soon. If you're lucky I'll give him a message for you though." "The name is Kagura and I am here to give him a message but…" Kagura laughed as she played with her fan. "You travel with Sesshomaru and yet you speak so casually of him. You two must be close. I think I may change my message's contents if you don't mind." Something in her tone didn't sound good and Amane lifted her sword in defense. "Jaken, go hide." She whispered quietly so Kagura wouldn't hear her. "Lord Sesshomaru would kill me if he found out that I hid!" Just as he said so, Kagura attacked sending blades of wind toward Amane and Jaken. "You'll have to do instead!" she yelled violently. Amane held her arms up in defense from the wind once again but unfortunately Jaken had not been so lucky this time, the wind had blown him away. "Jaken!" Amane yelled after him, but it was already too late. As she was distracted, Kagura came up from behind and grabbed her, carrying her away which resulted in Amane dropping Zanshiki. "Tell Sesshomaru that Naraku is looking for him!" Kagura yelled down to Jaken as she flew away with Amane on her feather.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!" Amane attempted to tug her arm away but Kagura had a serious grip on it. "You're going to be bait to lure Sesshomaru to Naraku." Kagura said as she somehow managed to make her grip even tighter. "If you think Sesshomaru is going to come after me you're crazy!" Amane genuinely began to laugh, "He would never! I'm nothing to him all I do is follow him around and that's not permanent, I plan on going my own way soon." Originally she planned on staying by Sesshomaru's side until she figured out some personal things but all he did was leave her with Jaken and she felt like she was getting absolutely nowhere. In fact she'd probably figure things out faster without him around. After today, if she ever managed to escape from Kagura she'll most definitely go on her own.

"We'll see about that. I think it'll be best for your sake if you're useful." "It's not really my choice but we'll see." Amane mumbled. If only she had Zanshiki then she could knock Kagura over the head and make an escape. Well…once they reached the ground that is…"

* * *

Author Note: So I've noticed that views for this series drop the more words I write so I'm going to try to keep it shorter? Or is it really so bad? Lol! Please let me know if you're enjoying or not enjoying the story and if you have any tips or suggestions for me! Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kagura threw Amane into a room where a man in a baboon costume was sitting. His face was exposed and he looked at Kagura with an angry expression. "Oh? What have we here? A girl? I asked you for Sesshomaru and you bring me this creature?" The man stood and approached Amane, who had by now also stood up. This guy was a stranger to her but she could tell he knew that there was something off about her, but just like Sesshomaru he had no idea what. She could tell by the expression on his face when he addressed her. Maybe this could be an advantage to her.

"She was traveling with Sesshomaru, Naraku. He wasn't around but don't worry, I left a message. He should be here shortly." Kagura lifted her fan to hide her smirk which warranted a confused look from Amane. "Sesshomaru traveling with a woman? No doubt she means something to him. Looks like I have something to use against him." Naraku smiled, but that smile sent chills up Amane's back. He grabbed Amane by her chin and inspected her face, "You are an unusual specimen, let's see what use you'll be to me." Amane tore her face away from his grasp and ran to the other side of the room. "I don't know what your business is with Sesshomaru but it has nothing to do with me. Sesshomaru doesn't care about me, I'm just someone who is following him around. So if you think he's going to come to ' _rescue'_ me then you're dead wrong. He'll happily let me die here if that's what you have planned."

Amane huffed in annoyance, which seemed to become a new signature for her. Traveling with Sesshomaru really _**WAS**_ turning out to be a huge waste of time. Not only was he never around but now she was being kidnapped because of him? Great. Naraku cackled, "If Sesshomaru is allowing a woman to follow him then surely you must mean something to him. Kagura, you should go wait for our expected guest outside." Kagura nodded and left the room, leaving Amane and Naraku alone. "Are you kidding? The first time we met he left me to die! I wish I was joking but he really did leave me there, even after I asked him for help. So you think he's gonna help this time? The time I didn't ask for help? When he wouldn't help me back when I did? What a great plan you two have come up with!" Amane folded her arms and leaned against the wall, hoping he would get distracted so she could make her escape.

Naraku's expression changed from that of amusement to that of anger once again. This time he looked angrier than previously. Amane's heart pounded but she tried to ignore the feeling. What is she doing? She can't defend herself right now. She's so vulnerable. It's not like she can really die permanently but still, this guy really seemed crazy and he's not someone she wanted to make upset. He was clearly a demon. While she was quite the fighter, she didn't have much experience with demons, but she did know they were much worse than humans. Naraku smiled suddenly, "Well, then I guess we'll have to see if you'll die or not today." He was clearly very annoyed and looked like he was ready to kill her, so she didn't doubt that he would do so if Sesshomaru didn't show up. He was about to leave the room but stopped in the doorway before doing so, "Don't even think about trying to leave this room either, I'll have you killed before you can even get the door open." He shot a terrifying glance her way, which made the hairs on her neck stand up straight. Amane didn't doubt him for one second. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Despite that, Amane tried to think up a plan. _"Sesshomaru's not gonna come for me, I have to figure out how to get out of here. I'll die if I try to leave you say? Yeah, I'll die if I stay here too!"_ She thought to herself.

Sesshomaru returned to where he had left Jaken and Amane earlier that morning. What he came across was unexpected. Jaken was high up in a tree and Amane was no where to be found. "Jaken. What are you doing up in that tree, get down from there." Sesshomaru demanded, as if it was Jaken's choice to be up there. "Where is Amane?" he questioned before Jaken could say anything. "Well milord, Kagura came and took her." His voice was shaky as he tried to carefully get himself out of the tree without any injury. "She said it was a message for you and that Naraku wanted to see you." As he wiggled and wiggled he eventually got himself loose which resulted in him falling from the tree and landing on the ground in a big thud. He groaned and rubbed his back where he had fallen. "I'm sorry milord, I tried to help her but Kagura's wind spell was too much for me!" Despite the pain from his fall, he scrambled over to Sesshomaru, got on his knees and bowed. "Forgive me milord!" he begged.

"I don't care about that woman, if they took her it makes no difference to me." He said, completely ignoring Jaken's apology and request for forgiveness. Without saying another word he turned on his heel and began to walk in the direction that Kagura had taken Amane. "Are you going after her milord?" Jaken asked as he quickly began to follow. They'd spent quite a lot of time together now and even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Jaken had actually grown a bit fond of Amane. Sesshomaru ignored him once again and continued walking in the direction of the castle.

"Well well well, look who's here. Sesshomaru. The girl is inside. Don't worry, Naraku hasn't killed her yet." Kagura smiled and played with her fan. "I'm not here for the girl, I'm here for Naraku. Do you think I would waste my time on a mortal girl?" He removed his sword from it's sheath and attacked Kagura. She gasped and quickly dodged the attack, "Don't shoot the messenger Sesshomaru. Naraku is the one you want, not me." Her voice was tense, she was obviously not expecting the attack. With that she pulled a feather from her hair and flew off.

Next to emerge from the castle was Naraku. "So you've finally arrived Sesshomaru. Welcome."


End file.
